Chapter Seven

Back at base X-Brawn and Side Burn waited as TAI tried to locate Prowl.
This must be how X-Brawn and Prowl felt when I was captured Side Burn thought. As he looked around the room he saw that besides X-Brawn, TAI and himself, Optimus was the only other one present, there was no sign of either Freespirit or Raincloud.
"Where's Spirit and Raincloud?" he asked.

"Raincloud is out looking for Freespirit." Optimus answered.

"Looking for her?" X-Brawn asked half confused.

Optimus gave a nod, "It seems Freespirit disappeared soon after Raincloud told us what happened to Prowl."


Topaz sat on a cliff edge looking at the view in front of her. She sighed, why was she feeling like this? Surely she wouldn't care if Prowl was taken or not, it wasn't as if she liked the mech. She hated him, hated the sight of him, so why was it that she as feeling sadness and guilt for letting him get taken?
"You can be pretty hard to find, you know that." A voice said, Topaz looked round and was surprised to see a sliver sports car behind her. She looked at it a confused look on her face then finally said, "I'm sorry, do I know you?"

The car chuckled and transformed, "Recognise me now?"

"Rain? That's your alt mode?" she said clearly in shock.

The femme nodded, "Like it?"

Topaz smiled. "It's not as good as mine but it still looks good." She replied cheekily. "Just be glad your not red or…"

"Side Burn wouldn't leave me alone. Yes, I know. I heard that from Koji already, though I'm not quite sure I get it. What is it about red sports cars that… interest Side Burn so?"

The girl shrugged.
"No one knows." She paused for a moment then said, "In fact I don't think even Side Burn himself knows." She chuckled.

Raincloud chuckled and looked at her, now humanised, friend with worried optics.
"What are you doing out here?"

"Thinking." She replied turning back to the view.

Raincloud walked over to her, kneeled down on knee and placed a hand on Topaz's shoulder.
"Is everything okay?" after receiving no reply she said, "You should come back to base. Everyone's worried about you."

"Uh huh. Yeah sure they are." She got up and walked off.


As Prowl began to come online again he went to hold his head only to realise that he couldn't move his arms. He looked down and saw that he was tied up by energon chains.

"Well look who finally came round." Slapper said.

"And just in time for our demands." Gas Skunk added.

Prowl looked over to see Sky-Byte just finishing his demands.

"…So I suggest you give her up immediately or you might not see your friend again." He ended the communication. "That ought to do it."

"Are you sure they'll listen? Remember what happened last time." Dark Scream said.

Prowl was confused, he knew that they weren't talking about Optimus as Sky-Byte said she, but Dark Scream had referred to their last 'kidnap' attempt in which Optimus was the target. There were only two femmes on the planet, Freespirit and Raincloud but which one were they after and why?
He didn't have to wait long to find out the answer.

"They'll come. And as soon as they do, that jet will be ours." Sky-Byte responded.

Prowl tried not to show his surprise at who it was they wanted. Spirit…no. He felt a little comfort in knowing that Freespirit wouldn't come, but it also saddened him that she would feel nothing for him but hate.
"You'll never get away with this! Optimus would never let her give herself up to you."

The Predacons laughed.
"Somehow I don't think Optimus really has a choice." Dark Scream said.

"Yeah. Especially if they want you back." Slapper said.

"In one piece." Gas Skunk added.

The four laughed again.


When Freespirit returned to base everyone was surprise to see her, after getting over her shock Raincloud walked over to the fighter jet.
"Spirit, we need to talk." she said.

"Sure Rain. What's up?"

Raincloud looked over at the others in the room before turning back to Freespirit.
"Perhaps somewhere a little more private." And started to walk off.

Freespirit shrugged and followed her friend. Once they were in Raincloud's quarters she turned to the other femme and asked, "What's going on with you and Prowl?"

"Huh?" surprised by the question.

"Come on, Spirit. We've know each other a long time and in all that time I don't think there was even once that you didn't jump at the chance to be with Prowl." Although Raincloud's tone was calm Freespirit could sense the frustration in her voice.

"Yeah well… things change." Freespirit said as she started to walk out.

"Oh no you don't." Raincloud said grabbing her arm "We're talking about this whether you want to or not."

Freespirit looked back at her, her light yellow optics narrowing.
"Let. Go, Rain." She said coldly.

"No." she replied, "Not until you tell me what happened."

"It's none of your business. What happened between Prowl and I stays between Prowl and I."

Raincloud was surprised by Freespirit's statement but didn't let go of her arm.
"What happened to you, Spirit? When we were back on Cybertron…"

"That was a long time ago, Rain. I've changed a lot since then."

"You bet you've changed! Your more argumentative, less friendly… need I go on?" Freespirit just stared at her "Whatever happened between the two of you, you've let it consume you. Your anger and hatred of Prowl you let grow until it encompassed every Autobot, if it wasn't for Optimus, Koji, Rapid Run and Crosswise you'd have probably destroyed everyone by now. You must let go of what happened or it'll be your downfall, and I certainly don't want you to die again. The first time was enough."

Freespirit looked away from her long time friend, something she said reminded her of a strange conversation she had with Crosswise on one of her rare visits to the base. Even back then Optimus insisted on teaming her up with the Autobot Brothers.

Flashback
Freespirit walked down the corridor grumbling and looking down right annoyed.
"Stupid Optimus and his stupid orders, stupid Predacons, stupid Prowl…"

"You continue on like that and you're going to run out of people to call stupid." A voice said jokily.

She looked round a saw Crosswise. "Yeah well I can't help it. I'm annoyed." She said stating the obvious.

"That I could tell." He said "What's got you so upset, Spirit?"

The femme jet looked at him a mixture of amazement and confusion on her face. "As if you can't tell from what I just said." She finally replied still very much annoyed.

The Spychanger chuckled and walked up to her. "I think what you need is to let go of what happened in the past. It'll do nothing but hold you back. And as for the Predacons being stupid…" he chuckled again "Everyone knows that." He then continued to walk in the direction he was going.
End Flashback

At the time she was confused as to what he could mean, Hot Shot -who had heard the conversation- said that he was giving her advice but that only served to confuse her more. She had always meant to ask him about it, but never got around to it. As she went over Raincloud's words again she finally understood what Crosswise meant and tears threatened to fall.
"He left me." She whispered softly.

"I don't understand. What do you mean he left you?" although she knew from what Prowl had told her that Spirit thought he had left her, she needed to hear what Spirit thought of the matter.

"He left me to die, Rain. He knew he wasn't suppose to leave the group but he did. He said he would be right back but soon after he left we were taken by surprise, and he never came back. He never came back!" Her vocaliser almost giving out, she didn't know how much longer it would last. Remembering all those emotions, all the feelings that she felt when she thought Prowl had abandoned her were doing her in.

Hearing the hurt in her friends voice she drew the fighter jet into a comforting hug.
"I'm sure Prowl didn't mean to do what he did. The two of you were so into each other, it's pretty hard to imagine that he'd ever want to hurt you." She pulled the jet a little away from her so she could look her in the optic, seeing tears rolling down the jet's face. "Have you ever wondered how Prowl felt about all this?"

"W-what do you mean?"

"Well think about it. He goes off intending to come right back, having no idea that the group would get attacked, and when he does come back what does he see? His group, his friends, all dead including you. How do you think he felt seeing your body lying there, thinking he'd never see you again and blaming himself for what happened."

"I…" Freespirit couldn't respond to that, she had no response to that because she knew Raincloud was right. All these years she blamed Prowl for what had happened to her, when all along it had nothing to do with him. He could have stayed and they'd still be attacked. She'd also never even considered how he would have felt after seeing her broken and damaged body. "You're right." She whispered.

"Course I am. Have I ever been wrong?"

Freespirit chuckled as she wiped the last of the tears away.
"That's debatable."

"Hey."

"But I did let my anger, my hurt get the best of me. I've been blaming Prowl for so long it's become second nature to me."

"Then it's about time we changed that nature." Raincloud said. Freespirit gave a nod and smiled "You know it's ironic."

"What is?"

"In a way all the hatred you felt for Prowl meant that deep down you still really love him."

Freespirit's mouth fell open and her optics went wide at Raincloud's statement. Did she really still love Prowl after all these years? Was that even possible? Could it be that, that was what she felt when Prowl was taken?

There was a knock on the door and Freespirit had just enough time to regain her composure before Raincloud said, "Come in."

The door opened and Optimus walked in.
"We've just received a communication from Sky-Byte." He began

"And?" Freespirit said anxiously.

"They are willing to let Prowl go." He paused for a moment before continuing "In exchange for you."

"Me?" she said in surprise "Why do they want me?"

"I think I know." Raincloud said thoughtfully. "Your ability to fly through the air gives you a tactical advantage, in any situation, and the fact that your friends with everyone here gives them an even greater advantage because they know we'd never fire on another Autobot."

Optimus gave a nod and Freespirit thought for a moment, thinking Raincloud's words through carefully. There was no doubt she was right, and as that human saying went 'hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn', but what would they do to Prowl if she didn't do as they say? No, she wouldn't take that risk. Prowl belonged here with his brothers, it was she that didn't belong, she would give herself up for Prowl. But first, she needed more information.

"Did they say where I was to 'give myself up' as it was were." She asked.

Raincloud looked at the jet almost horrified as to what she was thinking. Surely she wasn't going to give herself up for Prowl, the Predacons couldn't be trusted. Who was to say that as soon as they got her that they wouldn't keep both Freespirit and Prowl.
"Spirit, you can't be serious."

"Raincloud is right, Freespirit." Optimus said, knowing full well that Sky-Byte would most probably not release Prowl even if Freespirit did as they asked. "I cannot allow you to give yourself up. Not only would they have you but they would have Prowl as well."

Freespirit looked between Optimus and Raincloud, they clearly weren't going to let her 'exchange' herself for Prowl, but she had already made up her mind and they weren't going to change it, she stormed out of the room.

Raincloud stared at the door and sighed.
"You know she's going to go ahead with it no matter what you or I say."

Optimus looked at her a slight look of surprise in his optics.

Hearing no reply she added, "Yes, I managed to… bring her round." Remembering what Rapid Run had said to her 'If anyone can bring Spirit round. It's you.'

Optimus smiled behind his faceplate.